Meredith Corporation Names Gayle Butler Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

Meredith Corporation Names Gayle Butler Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

DES MOINES, Iowa, and NEW YORK, June 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP) today named Gayle Butler Editor-in-Chief of Better Homes and Gardens magazine, effective July 1. With a circulation of 7.6 million and a monthly readership of 40 million, Better Homes and Gardens is America's premier monthly magazine and one of the most successful and recognizable magazine brands in the world.

Butler currently serves as Editorial Director for Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications and Creative Collection, a group of 240 issues covering building and remodeling; decorating and design; gardening and outdoor living; food and entertaining; diet and health; and various crafting activities including quilting, sewing, knitting and scrapbooking.

"Gayle has an intimate knowledge of -- and affinity for -- the Better Homes and Gardens brand," said Meredith Publishing Group President Jack Griffin. "She has developed reader connectivity across a wide range of subject matters and is a world-class editor."

"Better Homes and Gardens plays an essential role in the lives of tens of millions of women who look to us for ideas, insight and guidance to better their families, their homes and their lives," Butler said. "I'm honored and thrilled to be named Editor-in-Chief, and I look forward to elevating our strong commitment to service journalism to new levels and across multiple media platforms."

Butler has spent the last 12 years working in Meredith's Special Interest Publications area, assuming her current role as Editorial Director in 2004. She has helped reshape the SIP portfolio and expand it into new brands and categories, including health-related titles such as the award-winning Diabetic Living and Heart-Healthy Living. Other product initiatives include a line of cooking magazines based on America's Top Chefs; Real+Life Decorating, a know- how magazine for Gen X women; and EAT - Easy Family Food, a magazine for time- pressed moms. Another SIP title, Kitchen and Bath Ideas, was recently named the official publication of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

During a Meredith career that dates back to 1983, Butler has served as an Associate Editor of Better Homes and Gardens magazine and Senior Home Editor for Better Homes and Gardens Books before joining the Special Interest Publications group.

"Gayle understands the special relationship readers have with both the magazine and the brand because she has lived it on many levels for a number of years," said Better Homes and Gardens President Andy Sareyan, who led an extensive national and international search for a new editor-in-chief. "At the same time, she has exhibited a flair for innovation and creativity. She keeps her content fresh and vibrant, keys to the success of Better Homes and Gardens for the last 85 years as well."

A Virginia native, Butler is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of University of Richmond, where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. In 2005, she was recognized with the Alumni Association's Distinguished Service Award by the university. Upon graduation, she spent seven years working in communications in Washington D.C., first on Capitol Hill and then for the Potomac Electric Power Company.

Butler lives in Des Moines with her husband, Scott. They have two grown daughters, Sarah and Ellen. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Des Moines Library Foundation and in leadership roles at her church.

About Meredith Corporation

Meredith ( http://www.meredith.com/ ) is one of the nation's leading media and marketing companies with businesses centering on magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, integrated marketing and interactive media. The Meredith Publishing Group features 25 subscription magazines -- including Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Parents, Child, Fitness, and American Baby -- and approximately 240 special interest publications. Meredith owns 14 television stations, including properties in top-25 markets such as Atlanta, Phoenix and Portland.

Meredith has approximately 350 books in print and has established marketing relationships with some of America's leading companies including The Home Depot, DIRECTV, DaimlerChrysler, Wal-Mart and Carnival Cruise Lines. Meredith's consumer database, which contains approximately 85 million names, is one of the largest domestic databases among media companies and enables magazine and television advertisers to target marketing campaigns precisely. Additionally, Meredith has an extensive Internet presence that includes 32 Web sites and strategic alliances with leading Internet destinations. Meredith Hispanic Ventures publishes five Spanish-language titles, making Meredith the largest Hispanic publisher in the United States.

Source: Meredith Corporation

CONTACT: Patrick Taylor, +1-212-551-6984, patrick.taylor@meredith.com ,
or Art Slusark, +1-515-284-3404, art.slusark@meredith.com , both of Meredith
Corporation

Web site: http://www.meredith.com/

NOTE TO EDITORS: To download a photo of Gayle Butler, click on either one of the links below. http://meredith.mediaroom.com/file.php/178/gayle_butler.jpg http://meredith.mediaroom.com/file.php/179/gayle_butler2.jpg

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